Trade body urged to expel Putin propaganda agency

President Putin ordered the creation of Sputnik in 2013MIKHAIL METZEL/TASS VIA GETTY IMAGES

A chamber of commerce is to review a decision to grant membership to a Kremlin-backed propaganda agency after the move prompted outrage.

Sputnik UK, which is based in Edinburgh’s west end, has “partnered” with the city’s trade body, describing its membership as a great platform for its work. The chamber said that it was looking forward to “supporting Sputnik to grow and raise its profile”.

Ian Murray, a Labour member of the Commons foreign affairs committee, urged the chamber to sever ties with Sputnik immediately and said that its aim was to “undermine the UK state”.

Created in a decree by President Putin in 2013, Sputnik is the international wing of a Kremlin-controlled news agency. Analysts say that it serves Russia’s military doctrine, which specifies…

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